What is hospice palliative care?

Hospice is a focused, team approach to providing healthcare and other needed services to patients nearing the end of life. The hospice team is comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, pastoral representatives, home health aides, volunteers, and family caregivers. Its mission is to provide comfort care to patients and their families in less institutionalized settings and with less strict routines.

Palliative care refers to both a program and a concept of care based on the provision of comfort. It is designed for individuals who are living with, or dying from, a progressive life threatening illness. The program enhances quality of life through pain and symptom control and provides emotional and spiritual support for both patients and families. Compassionate and specialized care is provided with specialized knowledge and skills.

Hospice palliative care resources - Quick links

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Regional resources

Aspen Health Region (Northern Alberta)

• Aspen Health Region offers palliative care in all settings within the Aspen region. In-home palliative services are available to meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the dying and their families.
  

Chinook Health Region (Lethbridge and area)

• The program in Chinook Health is under the direction of a Medical Director and Program Director. Three Palliative Medical Consultants, four Palliative Care Nurse Consultants, Pharmacist, primary family physicians, front-line staff, Hospice staff and volunteers help provide services to all Chinook Health sites. The Palliative Care Team has special training to help manage the care that is required. This includes pain and symptom control, where to go for help, and grief support. This team also helps the family doctor and Community Care Nurse assess the needs, and provide teaching to family and caregivers.

• St. Michael's Health Centre is a Christian-based, voluntary residential care facility providing care and personal support to those requiring continuing care, and whose condition and personal needs prevent them from remaining at home. St. Michael's offers bereavement support groups as well as palliative and pastoral care.

Calgary

• Calgary Health Region has teams of specially trained doctors, nurses, other professionals and volunteers to help provide a variety of palliative care services in various locations to meet your needs -- and your family's -- from dealing with pain to handling grief.
• Hospice Calgary Society can provide those facing chronic/life-threatening illness, or the families those who have died, with the support and/or referral information for as long as you need it. Hospice Calgary offers a wide range of specialized support and bereavement services (before, during and after death.)
• Salvation Army - Agape Hospice is a home away from home for the terminally ill, offering people a place where they can die with dignity. It is also a place that echoes with the hope of life. This hospice strives to offer excellent individualized physical, social, emotional and spiritual care in a home-like, welcoming setting where individuals and their loved ones are assured of dignity, respect and hope.
• Foothills Country Hospice is dedicated to providing compassionate, holistic care to persons with a terminal illness and the people they love. With no overnight stay beds, nor full time service available to people in their homes, some people with a terminal illness must leave their families and community supports in order to receive care as they approach death. This lack of local services has been the motivating force behind FCHS?s drive to serve our communities most vulnerable members.

East Central Health

• East Central Health palliative care program ensures that compassionate care is accessible to patients and families wherever they live throughout the region. The aim of this program is to relieve suffering and improve the quality of living and dying.

Edmonton

• Edmonton Regional Palliative Care Program provided by Capital Health is a community based model of palliative care designed to increase access to high quality, cost effective palliative care services. The program has focused on providing access to palliative care support in the home and in all region health care institutions, while shifting the main area of end-of-life care from acute care, to home and hospice (hospices are in continuing or long term care facilities).
  
  Specific programs include:
  

  Palliative Care Program - Royal Alexandra Hospital  Palliative Care Program - University of Alberta Hospital  Pediatric Palliative Care  Palliative Home Care  Palliative Hospices

  
  

• Pilgrims Hospice Society exists to provide a voluntary free-standing Hospice that offers supportive care to enhance the quality and dignity of life for those diagnosed with a progressive life-limiting illness. Pilgrims Hospice Society offers support to those who are ill, their families, caregivers and others until natural death occurs.
  

Fort McMurray and area

• Northern Lights Health Region palliative care program offers palliative patients nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, mental health, and nutritional services. Palliative care services are available in-home or in a facility setting.
  

Medicine Hat

• Palliser Health Region offers palliative care services throughout the region. Outpatient services are offered through the existing home care programs. The program enhances quality of life through pain and symptom control and provides emotional and spiritual support for both patients and families.

Peace Country Health Authority

• Peace Country Health Authority provides palliative care in a variety of settings throughout Peace Country Health, in hospitals, in Continuing Care Centres and in individual's own homes.
  

Red Deer

• David Thompson Health Region has four Palliative Care Resource Nurses available to regionally to assist health care teams in all areas of care including hospitals, care centres and home care. The aim is to support the patient's family physician and acute care, continuing care and home care RNs, as they maintain the primary relationship with the patient and family.
• Red Deer Hospice Society recognizes death as a part of life's journey. Our commitment is to provide compassionate care so people can die in peace, comfort and dignity with support for them and their loved ones. The Red Deer Hospice Society will provide physical, social, emotional and spiritual care in a community based, home-like setting for individuals who are dying and for their loved ones.
  

Provincial resources

Government of Alberta

• Saying Farewell - Information and forms to guide you through the death & dying process
• Personal Directives - Choosing Now for the Future
• The Alberta Funeral Services Regulatory Board - Funeral Planning in Alberta

The Palliative Care Association of Alberta

National resources

The Canadian Virtual Hospice is an interactive network for people dealing with life-threatening illness and loss.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) is the national association which provides leadership in hospice palliative care in Canada. CHPCA offers leadership in the pursuit of excellence in care for persons approaching death so that the burdens of suffering, loneliness and grief are lessened.

The End of Life Project from the Health Law Institute at Dalhousie University looks at questions about end of life law and policy in Canada. There's information about advance directives, palliative interventions, and the withholding and withdrawal of potentially life-sustaining treatment. There are explanations of the law on various aspects of end of life care, answers to "Frequently Asked Questions", an online library, reports on research conducted by the project team, a glossary, and links to related sites with other useful information.

Canadian Cancer Society - Alberta/NWT Division partnerships

Alberta Strategic Alliance for Palliative Care (Rural ASAP): ASAP's mission is to share knowledge that will define hospice palliative care services to be provided in Alberta with an emphasis on the development of rural hospice palliative care.

Interface Working Group: Interface Projects was established to ensure that "all cancer patients and their family members, who would benefit from hospice palliative care, have timely access to coordinated services that are culturally appropriate". The Canadian Cancer Society participates as a working group member and also contributes funding towards projects. In 2004/05 the projects were located in the following areas:

• Chinook Health Region
• Palliser Health Region
• Calgary Health Region
• David Thompson Health Region
• East Central Health Region

Pallium Family Caregiving Project: The Pallium Project is based on the idea that many hands make light work. The Project is a collective of leaders and interested people who collaborate in developing tools, learning resources, continuing professional development and strategic initiatives for hospice palliative care. The Canadian Cancer Society is a contributing member to the project.

Alberta Cancer Board Hospice Palliative Care Network (HPCN): The Canadian Cancer Society - Alberta/NWT is a member of this provincial network.